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Designing the future of Indonesia’s food systems
With more than 50 percent of the population living in rural settings, Indonesia needs to develop smart ruralism that transforms the rural economy into the center of food production and growth.
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Farmers plant seedlings on a rice field in the village of Nanggulan in Kulonprogo, Yogyakarta, on Feb. 27, 2024. (Antara/Hendra Nurdiyansyah)
T
his year marks the 76th anniversary of Indonesia’s membership in the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). During these years, Indonesia and the FAO have built a strong collaboration across the food systems, including forestry, fisheries, agriculture and water.
The two are also commemorating 48 years of the establishment of FAO representation in Indonesia. Cooperation between them has grown in strength over the decades.
In a show of close ties between the two entities, the current FAO Country Programming Framework (CPF) is aligned with the Indonesian priority programs and activities.
Indonesia's National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN 2022-2024) clearly illustrates the priority programs and activities and sufficiently outlines the strategic directions to guide both the FAO and Indonesia in bringing Indonesia's skills, knowledge, experience, innovative best practices and global standards together with international expertise.
Both the CPF and the RPJMN are living documents that can be revisited according to the development trends, and also taking into consideration the remaining impacts of COVID-19, climate change, other natural disasters and global conflicts. These documents surely should be agile, fit-for-purpose and adaptive. With the new administration coming in October, it is pertinent to look at how to recalibrate the plans to secure Indonesia’s agrifood systems transformation. We look at four key ideas:
First, smart ruralism.
Of the nearly 280 million people in Indonesia, more than 50 percent of them live in rural settings. The concept of smart ruralism entails rethinking the rural economy as the center of food production and growth.
